The humanist Philipp Melanchthon (1497-1560)
once commented that the emperor Maximilian had tried to make a
drawing of Dürer, but the charcoal broke in his hand. The
inscription below this print of the subject (which translates:
'This is my sceptre; I had not hoped that your Majesty
would be as good an artist as I am') suggests that the
emperor should stick to politics and Dürer to his
art.

A series of
mock-stained glass paintings celebrating the life of Dürer was
erected in Nuremberg in 1828 in celebration of the 300th
anniversary of the artist's death. The project was probably
masterminded by Ernst Joachim Förster who designed one of the
scenes. The appearance of these translucent paintings is known
today through preparatory drawings, printed copies and a set of
glass panel copies.

This is
number five of seven lithographic plates in
Scenen aus dem Leben Albrecht
Dürers ('Scenes from the Life of
Albrecht Dürer'), four of which are based directly on the
translucent paintings; plate 5 is one of the three that were
designed in the same semi-fictitious style.

G. Bartrum (ed.), Albrecht Dürer and his legacy: (London and N.J., The British Museum Press and Princeton University Press, 2002)